Elsevier

The Journal of Pediatrics

Volume 179, December 2016, Pages 139-143.e1
The Journal of Pediatrics

Original Articles
A Population-Based Study on the Epidemiology of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders in Young Children

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2016.08.095Get rights and content

Objective

To perform a population-based study with Rome III criteria to describe the prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) in children in Colombia.

Study design

We conducted a multicity cross-sectional study to investigate the epidemiology of FGIDs in children 0-48 months of age using the Rome III criteria in Colombia. Children with organic medical diseases were excluded. Parents provided demographic information and completed the Spanish version of the Questionnaire on Pediatric Gastrointestinal Symptoms for Infants & Toddlers.

Results

Parents of 1231 subjects completed the questionnaires; 48 children were excluded due to presence of organic diseases and being older than 48 months of age. Four hundred eighty children (40.5%) were diagnosed with at least 1 FGID according to the Rome III diagnostic criteria (49% female, median 12 months). Functional constipation was the most commonly diagnosed disorder in infants (up to 12 months of age) and children of ages 13-48 months (16.1% and 26.8%, respectively). Analysis revealed that the prevalence of FGID was significantly greater in children who were the only child in the family (P = .003), children who were first-born (P = .007), and children with divorced or separated parents. (P = .001).

Conclusions

FGIDs are common in children younger than 4 years of age. Functional constipation and infant colic were the most common FGIDs in infants (up to 12 months of age), and functional constipation and rumination were the most common FGIDs in children 13-48 months of age.

Section snippets

Methods

We performed a cross-sectional study in children 0-48 months of age presenting for a well-child visit at primary care clinics in Colombia. Colombia (northwest of South America) is the third-most populous country (48 million inhabitants) in Latin America, after Brazil and Mexico. The study was conducted in 4 geographically dispersed cities of various sizes; 2 large cities, Bogotá (population 6 840 116; Department of Cundinamarca) and Cali (population 2 119 908; Department of Valle del Cauca) and

Results

Parents/caregivers of 1620 children were invited to participate. Of these, 1530 (94.4%) agreed to be included in the study. Parents of 1231 children (75.9%) completed the questionnaires. Twenty-four children (1.5%) were excluded from the study due to presence of organic disease (cow milk protein allergy, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, organic constipation, lactose intolerance, laryngomalacia, gastroesophageal reflux disease). Another 24 children (1.5%) were excluded due to being more than 48

Discussion

We surveyed the parents of children younger than 4 years of age presenting to primary care clinics for well child visits in 4 Colombian cities. We found that 40.5% of studied children fulfilled the Rome III criteria for at least 1 of the FGID diagnoses. In a study conducted in 320 mothers in the US, van Tilburg et al2 found that 27% of US children younger than 3 years of age had FGIDs. Functional constipation was found to be more prevalent in Colombian infants (16.1% vs 4.7%) than their US

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The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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